SAE International released the SAE J3400 North American Charging Standard (NACS) Electric Vehicle Coupler Technical Information Report (TIR), which lays the for SAE’s implementation of the Tesla-developed NACS connector standard. The TIR was developed through broad-based industry consensus in the SAE Hybrid-EV J3400 NACS Electric Vehicle Coupler Task Force.

In addition to benefiting EV drivers, the standard will help to ensure that any supplier or manufacturer will be able to use, manufacture, or deploy the J3400 connector for EVs and charging stations across North America.

The publication of the J3400 TIR comes just six months following SAE’s announcement that it would standardize the Tesla-developed NACS connector. (Earlier post.)

The Joint Office of Energy and Transportation was instrumental in fostering the SAE-Tesla partnership to expedite plans to standardize NACS, which plays a key role in building an interoperable national charging network that will work for EV drivers with multiple kinds of charging connectors.

SAE J3400 provides a blueprint for cost-effective mass electrification of transportation in North America. It facilitates broad interoperability for EV charging solutions by providing a unified, compact connector for both AC and DC charging. It is compatible with bring your own cord solutions that make J3400 an optimal approach for AC power transfer for street charging, parking garages/lots, and multi-unit or mixed-use buildings.

—Dr. Rodney McGee, Ph.D., P.E., chairman, SAE J3400 NACS Task Force, and Research Engineer at the Transportation Electrification Center at the University of Delaware

This standardized approach also means that the same utility power feeds for DC fast charging can be utilized for single-phase AC charging, eliminating the need for separate circuit panels and additional step-down transformers at charging sites, resulting in lower infrastructure costs and higher efficiencies.